Knowing why people tip can be a powerful tool.
Michael Lynn of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
wrote a paper called:
“Service Gratuities and Tipping: A Motivational Framework.”
This article dives into what makes people want to tip.
As bartenders we can take a lot from this paper to better understand how and why our customers tip.
Having this information can help you increase your tips
by using psychological cues that prompt customers to tip for the service you give them.
What causes tipping behavior?
The research suggests that there are five different reasons that people tip.
1. Helping the server. People want to feel good about
themselves and helping others is a good way to do it.
2. Rewarding good service is another thing people like to do.
When someone does a nice thing, it’s courteous to do nice things
back.
3. Trying to get or continue to get good service. People tend to
get faster and better service when they throw in a little extra for
the server.
4. People don’t want to look cheap in the eyes of others. Those that
don’t tip are looked down upon by the people around them. Social acceptance
is a natural desire.
5. It’s sometimes is seen as an obligation. Tipping is just one of those
things you’re supposed to do.
BE CAREFUL. What you don’t want to do is start manipulating people.
If you come across as manipulative all of this knowledge can backfire
on you.
Remember to use your people skills so that your business grows,
customers feel welcome and they keep coming back for your great service.
Tipping Doesn’t Make Sense.
Economists can’t really explain tipping,
they see it as “irrational” and “mysterious.”
If you think about it, IT IS. Tipping is just a social norm that creates
value out of giving good service. It also promotes giving better
service with a reward system.
Some people even consider it bribery. That’s because
sometimes it is.
Why do people pay more for something if they don’t have to?
Tipping goes against everything we’re taught, when it cones to buying things. Usually you look for the lowest price you can get and buy at that price. Sometimes we even try to get more of a discount on items by talking to or contacting the seller.
However when it comes to certain industries, like bartending, we not only pay for the item, we give a little extra to the person that gave us the drink.
What do you do with this information?
As bartenders we already know what our customers drink and
how to get it for them quickly. When we’re friendly about it we
usually make better money.
Now we can start looking at individual customers and start
reading what their motivation is for tipping. Then you can
adjust your own behavior to how the customer likes to tip.
When you combine what already works with this new information
you can easily increase the amount of tips you make in a
short amount of time.